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Alumnus Derek Capó ’03 masters Mandarin and launches a company that opens China to students, business executives
By Bryan Gilmer
Derek Capó ’03 figures if you’re fluent in English, Spanish and Mandarin, you ought to be able to conquer the world. And if, like him and many of his peers at FIU, you grew up speaking English and Spanish, he says the best way to add Chinese is to move to China and immerse yourself.
That’s what Capó did. He’d grown up in Miami, coming to FIU on a dual-enrollment program during high school. He got interested in China in the College of Business Administration after studying with Chinese professors, including Chun-Hao Chang, chair of the Department of Finance and Real Estate. After getting his bachelor’s in 2003, Capó put in a stint as a stock and bond analyst at Miami-based Everest Capital. That confirmed his belief that the most exciting business opportunities pointed east.
“China’s a developing country; it feels like how the United States was 60-70 years ago,” he says. “The world is changing, and China’s becoming this big presence. I decided I wanted to change my whole life around. I wanted to go to China.”
As he planned to move there, he realized he needed help enrolling in a language program, finding an apartment in a safe neighborhood and, at least at the beginning, even buying groceries whose labels were written in an alphabet he couldn’t understand.
He found a company offering that assistance. “The price was low, but the service was horrible,” he says. “I didn’t like their tutoring. I felt they didn’t really care about the customer.”
When Capó found a language program he liked, he devoted 10 months to intensive language instruction. It was only after he became fluent in Mandarin that he decided to start his own competing service. He and a business partner launched Next Step China in October 2008.
They began by offering to handle all the logistics for foreign exchange students studying in Beijing or Shanghai, logistics so daunting that very few foreign students had been coming.
Next Step China works to eliminate all the problems Capó encountered when he first stepped off the plane. The company picks you up at the airport, drives you to a furnished, luxury apartment they’ve leased for you, introduces you to the fellow exchange students who will be your roommates, gives you a local mobile phone, pre-programmed with Capó’s and other emergency numbers, and sets you up with a Chinese tutor. The service starts at $6,500 per semester, including rent, utilities, high-speed Internet access, weekly cleaning service, bottled water – and travel and medical insurance.
“The only two things you’re going to have to do are cook and study,” Capó says. “Bills are all taken care of. Your job is to learn the language.”
Next Step China is now creating programs for executives who want to add Chinese language skills to their résumé. In other words, people like Capó was a few years ago. He also wants to expand
to Latin America, where he can market his services in Spanish.
“Derek is a great example of what we promote at FIU,” says Joyce J. Elam, executive dean of the College of Business Administration. “We nurture the entrepreneurial spirit that many of our students already have, and the exposure to people from all over the world allows our students to capitalize on an interconnected global economy.”
Capó says FIU positions students well to succeed in China. “The teaching was great,” he says. “And I met a lot of international students. That was a great experience, being able to work on team projects with people from cultures all over the world.”
But knowing their languages, too, opens the most promising opportunities in business, Capó stresses: “At FIU, you have a lot of highly educated bilingual students. If they add Chinese, they can communicate with 1.1 billion more people.”


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I was the kid who needed cheese sauce in order to eat my broccoli. Now, as an adult, I have to admit broccoli still isn’t my vegetable of choice. But new research is making me rethink my anti-broccoli stance.
A study from the University of Illinois has shown that eating broccoli three to five times per week can lower the risk of many types of cancers, as well as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and even asthma.
Turns out, broccoli is loaded with health-promoting compounds known as phenolics. As you eat the broccoli, the phenolic compounds are absorbed into your bloodstream, where they reduce inflammation. This inflammation is often to blame for chronic disease. Encouragingly, researchers found that people who ate more broccoli and other foods rich in phenolic compounds had lower risk of disease.
In addition, researchers from the University of Illinois claim they have the secret for releasing broccoli’s maximum cancer-fighting potential. The best way to prepare broccoli, they say, is to steam it lightly for about 3 or 4 minutes—until the broccoli is “tough-tender.”
Still not convinced to eat your broccoli? Well, you’re in luck. It appears other cruciferous vegetables, like cauliflower and kale, have the same cancer-fighting properties.

domain: news


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Joining Exetel and iiNet, gotalk has released a set of plans for Naked DSL with VoIP starting at $49.95.
According to Whirlpool, these plans are “affordable” and are dubbed “The Great Escape”. The service is currently operated by Optus’ ADSL2+ network and will offer a VoIP service with a phone number. Customers can also have the option to move their existing phone number to the VoIP service when it is active.
Plans start with a 3GB onpeak/6GB offpeak plan for $49.95 and go up to a 20GB onpeak/40GB offpeak plan for $79.95.
The company currently offers aggressive pricing on its main business, phone services, on it’s “The Lot” plan. Costing about $95 a month, it includes free local, national and mobile calls with some international calls. It also has a mobile plan capped at $100.
Unlike its rivals, Optus and iiNet, gotalk does not count uploads on its naked or packaged plans.


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Every week could be considered beer week in Buffalo.
But officially, Buffalo Beer Week begins Friday.
The annual 10-day event, which runs through Oct. 4, is filled with beer tastings, tours and dinners around the Buffalo region to showcase the array of local brews produced from the burgeoning craft beer movement sweeping across the Niagara Frontier.
“There’s tremendous expansion going on in the brewing industry,” said Willard Brooks, president of the Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association, sponsor of Buffalo Beer Week. “There’s about 20 breweries now. When this started a few years back, there were two in Buffalo.”
Brooks and other local brewers kicked off the sixth annual Buffalo Beer Week on Tuesday with a keg-tapping ceremony at Big Ditch Brewery on East Huron Street, where they talked about how much the industry has blossomed with consumer demand for a variety of more full-flavored beers.
The list of local breweries now includes Rusty Nickel Brewing Co. in West Seneca and Community Beer Works on Lafayette Avenue. There’s Pan-American Grill & Brewing at Hotel @ the Lafayette and Resurgence Brewing Co. over on Niagara Street. There’s Barker Brewing, Old First Ward Brewing Co. at Gene McCarthy’s on Hamburg Street and Hamburg Brewing Co. in Hamburg. Woodcock Brothers Brewery is in Wilson.
Economic incentives offered by New York State have propelled the craft brewing industry forward, Brooks said, while institutions like Erie Community College are training the workforce by offering a certificate in brewing science. The course already has a waiting list of 86.
Meanwhile, more hops and barley fields are dotting the landscape across Erie and Niagara counties, Brooks said.
“Buffalo now has a malt house – there’s two additional ones in Western New York,” Brooks said. “It’s now possible to make beer that’s 100 percent made in Buffalo – both grown and brewed.”
“That’s part of our history, our heritage – something to be proud of,” Brooks said.
In fact, one of the purposes of Buffalo Beer Week is to celebrate the city’s rich brewing history, which dates back to the early 1800s. By the late 19th century, Buffalo had nearly 40 breweries along with a vast network to support the industry, Brooks said.
“We’re about to experience something similar,” Brooks said. “It seems like history is repeating itself.”
Matt Kahn agreed.
As president of Big Ditch Brewery, Kahn recalled how less than a year ago he was just a hopeful brewer preparing to open his establishment and serve his first beer.
“I remember thinking then, as I do now, that Buffalo Beer Week will always be to us about the potential of Buffalo to be one of the greatest beer cities in the country,” Kahn said. “It wasn’t that long ago, when that would have been unimaginable.”
“Now,” Kahn said, “as we look around at all the breweries that have popped up around the area just over the last few years, you can feel the beer scene growing. The culture is very strong here. It’s very supportive and you can really feel that us being one of the best beer cities in the country is not out of the question.”
Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association received a $40,000 grant from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s craft beverage grant program to market Buffalo Beer Week in the Southern Ontario market. Some of the featured events include:
• Farm-to-Pint Passport Program: Local beers will be promoted at participating bars and breweries throughout the region.
• Brewery Shuffleboard Tournament at Big Ditch. Local breweries will compete in a shuffleboard tournament from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday at Big Ditch, 55 E. Huron St., where beers from a variety of local brewers will be available.
• Ballpark Brew Bash. Sponsored by Consumers Beverages, the event will run from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Coca-Cola Field and feature more than 50 breweries from around the world.
• “Vines and Bines” Wine & Beer Dinner Tasting Series. Experts in beer, wine and cuisine partner for this event from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Oshun Oyster Bar, 5 E. Huron St.
• BBQ, Bourbon, Beer & Cigar Dinner. This fundraiser will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle, 612 Fillmore Ave.
• Pub Crawl Saturday. Touring pubs in six neighborhoods – Black Rock, Elmwood, Allentown, Downtown, East Aurora and Williamsville – highlight the activities on Oct.3
For more information about all the events during Buffalo Beer Week check out buffalobeerweek.com


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Boston startup TurningArt has raised a $668,542 in funding, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The latest funding, which is part of $1 million the startup is looking to raise, comes from a total of 21 investors and brings the total raised for the company to $2.9 million, according to the June 2 filing.
Founder Jason Gracilieri declined to comment for this story.
The company last raised $1.5 million from NextView Ventures, which took part in the company's March 2011 seed round of $750,000. TurningArt's board includes NextView partner David Beisel, and the company is located in the same Leather District office building as NextView.
The other investor named in that last round is Fouad ElNaggar, a former Redpoint Ventures VC, who made an angel investment into TurningArt. ElNaggar, currently a senior vice president of CBS Interactive, has also joined the board of TurningArt.
TurningArt's service ships subscribers a print of their choice, and lets subscribers rotate it out for a different print when they want. Subscribers, who pay $10-$30 a month for the service ( free-month signup here), can choose to buy the print and also earn credits toward buying an original work of art from TurningArt.
"We are not trying to target art collectors," Gracilieri told the Journal in 2012. "We're trying to target people who just want great quality products in their home, but have moved beyond the $1.99 poster."


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So far, Hoverboards have been the things of sci-fi movies, thanks to the popularity of Future2 that featured Marty McFly riding skateboard. However, Silicon Valley firm has already got funding for hover-board, which can carry enough load.
Mc-Fly style hoverboard for sci-fi fans and now, this is making that dream turn into reality. Skateboard masters have played millions on games in their career, but this is the first game that they are going to on air!
Design team Jill and Greg Henderson released a kickstarter campaign to support Hover-board production financially. It’s expected to be available on store by Oct 2015. Kick-starter campaign became success, doubling its aim of $250k and it has already got awarded with ‘Time Magazine’s Top 25 Best Innovations for 2014’.
It makes use of magnetic levitation, generating a magnetic field beneath the board that’s driven by non-ferrous area, such as aluminum or copper, letting the board to levitate.
Hendo hoverboard designers say there is buzz around the upcoming product and they want to create some more to isolate things and buildings from ground shocks and earthquakes.
What’s It About?
How does the name sound like? Don’t you think gravity-defied skateboard and Hendo hoverboard is related? Exactly, it’s the skateboard that does not require wheels. It’s globe’s first real hoverboard skateboard and it works pretty awesome that pioneers like Tony Hawk couldn’t resist themselves from taking a spin. Tony, who had an amazing demo with Hover-board, just loved the new invention.
Since it needs no friction, it rides very smoothly when compared to skateboards with wheels. It integrates with body movements perfectly to get full control and there are many security measures to ensure player’s safety.
Talking about the technology, it’s not completely new! But until now, none has implemented it perfectly to make a hoverboard. The main key factor about this machine is 4 disc-shaped hover engines that generate an opposing magnetic field, which levitates, and lifts the board from the ground.
The magnetic field generated causes the board to fly from above the ground. It mainly relies on MFA (Magnetic Field Architecture) that’s referred to as magnetic levitation as per Hendo’s term. Using this technology, the device can propel, suspend, and direct high-speed trains for quieter, faster, and smooth transfer.
Are you taking the next Hoverboard test ride? What do you feel about this technology? Let’s know about your opinion.


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(Follow @MetalsGuru on Twitter for important updates) Reuters reported that a legal challenge by the United States to Chinese export subsidies that takes aim at aluminium products is set to revive industry concerns that China could cut a sales tax ... Steel Guru, 1 month ago
1 images for "united states aluminium"
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Mar 25 (NNN-WAM) - The Middle East's largest event for aluminium and allied industry, due to take place in Dubai next month, will have a strong German presence, with 26 companies signing up as exhibitors, to share the ...NAM News Network, 5 days ago ALUMINUM USA to launch in Detroit in 2015 Foundry Trade Journal, 1 week ago Bauxite and Alumina: Growth Maintained Engineering And Mining Journal, 2 weeks ago Reed Expanding Aluminum Brand to U.S. Mass Transit Magazine, 3 weeks ago
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Deep within the raucous roar of hype surrounding the Apple Watch emerges the little gem that Apple will release a solid gold version of its newest device containing an estimated two ounces of gold. In so doing, Apple has inadvertently signalled that ...ITWire, 3 weeks ago Apple already planning a platinum edition Apple Watch ITProPortal.com, 3 weeks ago Apple Loop: iPhone 6 Vs Galaxy S6, I Want The Apple Watch To Fail, Apple Disrupts Samsung Forbes.com, 1 week ago Apple Watch technology is not exactly impressive San Francisco Chronicle, 2 weeks ago
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DfT to increase roadwork charges
The government has announced that utility companies will be charged more in busy periods to dig up roads and carry out roadworks in an attempt to encourage workers to carry out maintenance during quieter hours.
According to the Department for Transport, the scheme – which was trialled in London – could reduce the amount of time motorists are stuck in traffic jams through more efficient scheduling of works.
Under the new rules, it will cost firms up to £2,500 a day to dig up the busiest roads in peak hours.
“Trials showed that some of the worst congestion caused by planned utility works in London was reduced by half on roads where lane rental was in operation, so rolling this out will extend the benefits nationwide,” said RAC head of roads policy, Nicolas Lyes.
Rebrand for Hudson Kapel Auctions
Hudson Kapel Auctions has rebranded to CD Salvage Auctions after CD Auction Group took control of the business.
The company specialises in accident-damaged and MOT failed vehicles from rental and leasing companies.
“Merging Hudson Kapel Auctions into the CD Auction operation presents some fantastic opportunities for us to offer wider remarketing solutions to our joint customer bases,” said Andy Brown, managing director of CD Auction Group. “There are considerable synergies as well as opportunities to build on best practice from both operations that can benefit customers of both businesses.”
Asda slashes fuel prices
Asda has announced it will cut the price of fuel from tomorrow (17 February) as the cost of wholsale oil has dropped.
The supermarket said unleaded would be capped at 116.7p a litre and diesel at 118.7p a litre. According to petrolprices.com, unleaded is currently averaging 121.5p a litre and diesel is at 123.9p a litre.
Earlier this week the RAC called on supermarkets and fuel retailers to drop their prices, claiming that the price of oil is at its lowest since last November.
“It would be good now to see other supermarkets following suit with a cut and, ideally, introducing their own price caps, even if they can’t drop their prices as low. And we would expect other fuel retailers large and small to bring their prices down as well,” said Simon Williams, RAC fuel spokesman.


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The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has ordered Northwestel – part of the Bell Canada group and the dominant operator in the Far North – to lower the rates for certain residential DSL internet services by 10%-30% by 4 May 2015. Northwestel will not be able to increase any residential internet rates until the end of 2017 at the earliest, and will need to seek the CRTC’s permission before doing so. In addition, Northwestel will no longer be allowed to charge additional fees to customers who subscribe to standalone internet services. From February 2016 Northwestel must also lower its charges for additional data usage by at least CAD0.50 (USD40) per gigabyte.
In 2013, the CRTC found that there was limited competition in the market for retail internet services offered using terrestrial facilities in Northwestel’s footprint. Consequently, the CRTC decided that it would begin to regulate, on an exceptional basis, Northwestel’s rates for these services.


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Turkey to increase tax-free fuel subsidy for trucks carrying export goods: Minister
AA photoThe upper limit for Turkish trucks buying fuel without paying any special consumption tax ahead of travel abroad has been increased from 500 liters to 900 liters, in a bid to boost Turkey’s exports.
Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci said in a meeting on March 5 that a number of measures would be taken to ease life and cut costs for transportation companies, which are key for Turkey’s exports.
“We will soon combine export certificates and transit certificates in order to ease bureaucratic burdens for transportation companies … We are also working on a plan to increase the top limit for Turkish trucks to buy special consumption tax-free fuel ahead of their foreign travels. We plan to increase this limit to 900 liters,” Tüfenkci said, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
He added that the number of border gates where this rule is applied would be increased from the current two to almost all of them.
Tüfenkci also noted that the transit pass for Turkish trucks via Syria has gone online again.
“We had earlier banned the transit pass via Syria due to the turmoil there. With a decision taken last week, we have overruled this ban upon the instructions of our prime minister,” he said.


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Plans are in place for Aylesbury Market's first car boot sale.Market Square (pictured) has been in existence since it was decreed a Charter Market by Mary Queen of Sco
WhizzFizzFest, Aylesbury’s annual children’s literary and arts festival is back for 2021. The eagerly anticipated festival will be returning online and to Aylesbury town c
South Oxfordshire people are being urged to enjoy the easing of restrictions safely with new messaging they will see while out and about.
A total of £4.5million has been committed to improve Aylesbury’s historic Kingsbury and Market Square (pictured). The
A lucky prizewinner has received a hamper full of goodies after an innovative promotion supported by local businesses.Ayl
The Proud of Bucks award winners have taken centre stage and been applauded for their efforts in helping others during the pandemic.
Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet has agreed to enter into negotiations with the current owners of Friars Square Shopping Centre, Aylesbury, with a view to buying it.
Sky Wave Gin is to base its award-winning, globally recognised brand at a new headquarters at Bicester Heritage. The move unifies two success stories, both celebrating the bes
Buckinghamshire's Christmas present appeal got some extra special support on Friday when Santa himself arrived early with a special delivery of gifts to Buckinghamshire Counci
Aylesbury is offering an alternative Christmas experience this year that will have people's well-being and safety at its heart.


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(Pocket-lint) – The Black Friday sales are usually a good time to buy a new phone, with discounts across many of the devices launched in the previous year.
We’re now into November when the Black Friday sales will start, and there are often incentives from networks, like good deals or discounts on SIM packages, for many, it’s heavy discounts on phones that people want.
We’ll be checking all the prices and delivering the best deals that you’ll find in mobile phones for Black Friday right here.
When will the Black Friday sales start?
Black Friday is scheduled to start on 26 November 2021, followed by Cyber Monday on 29 November. But the sales event will span these weeks, with black tag events often starting up in the middle of November and running for a couple of weeks.
Phones are very much a part of this and you’ll see rolling deals on different models throughout the sales period – and we’ve often seen some models or capacities sell out quickly once the sales start – especially from popular retailers. Some brands are already listing deals on their websites, although these aren’t universal across all retailers.
What phones do we expect to get discounts?
That’s the big question. Often there aren’t discounts on the very latest models, so the new iPhone is unlikely to be discounted, but the iPhone 12 and older models are all likely to see some good reductions across a range of retailers.
There are some brands that like to discount fairly heavily and Samsung is one of them. It’s unlikely that you’ll find a big discount on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, but you are likely to find discounts on the Galaxy S21 family and the Galaxy Note 20 – as well as many of the Galaxy A models too. Often, there’s some big savings, not just from third-party retailers, but direct from Samsung too.
Other brands love the sales, with the likes of OnePlus, Oppo and Motorola all common names. Previously we’ve seen serious discounts on flagship models, for example the vegan leather Oppo Find X2, making it much more affordable. That’s happening again in 2021, with Oppo, OnePlus and Xiaomi all starting sales early.
Watch out for storage, as sometime times one storage will have a big discount and another might not and also watch out for colours – as some versions of a phone might be cheaper because less people are buying it.
Which retailers offer the best phone deals?
Many retailers sell phones as they are one of the most popular items to buy. That means you have plenty of choices. While some deals won’t be great, we’ll be picking out the deals worth having in the highlights below. Or, you can go straight to the retailers and browse their discounted smartphones.
US Black Friday phone retailers
UK Black Friday phone retailers
Many deals have not yet started, but there are some sales appearing that are worth keeping an eye on. We’ll be fleshing out the deals below as they appear.
Best Black Friday UK smartphone deals 2021
Apple iPhone deals UK
Apple deals have not started yet – we’ll expect them to appear later in November.
Google Pixel deals UK
Google often discounts, but so far there’s no word on when we’ll see PIxel discounts for 2021.
Samsung Galaxy deals UK
Samsung usually discounts widely, both on its own website and through other retailers – but those discounts haven’t started.
OnePlus deals UK
OnePlus is running its Best Prices in 2021 event through its website and that’s seen some models already discounted. These might not be the best prices that appear across all retailers during Black Friday, but there are some early offers if you don’t want to wait.
Voucher discounts available now:
• OnePlus 9 Pro, 128GB, now £709.00 (save £120): The OnePlus 9 Pro is the flagship for 2021, and this is a great price for a great handset. Use code OP9PRO120BF at checkout. View deal on OnePlus.
• OnePlus 9, 128GB, now £549 (save £80): OnePlus’ smaller flagship phone has a Snapdragon 888 and a 120Hz display. Use code OP9BF80SEP at checkout. See offer on OnePlus.
• OnePlus 8T, 128GB, now £399 (save £150): The late 2020 update offers Snapdragon 865, a 120Hz display and a great discount. Use code OP8T150SEP at checkout. See deal on OnePlus.
From 5 November:
• OnePlus Nord 2 5G, 256GB, now £422.10 (save 10%): The Nord 2 is a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 phone with 5G, a great build and display – but much cheaper than a flagship phone. View deal on OnePlus.
Motorola deals UK
Motorola is often included in Black Friday sales, but the deals haven’t started yet.
Nokia deals UK
We’re expecting some Nokia devices to get discounted later in November.
Sony Xperia deals UK
There are usually good offers on Sony devices – but it’s still too soon.
Oppo Black Friday deals UK
Oppo has announced a range of discounts on models, but hasn’t confirmed which retailers will be offering the deals. We will update as soon as those deals are live and confirmed. Take note, however, these might not be the best prices across the Black Friday period.
- Oppo Find X3 Pro – discounted to £999
- Oppo Find X3 Neo – discounted to £599
- Oppo Find X3 Lite – discounted to £329
- Oppo A54 5G – discounted to £199
- Oppo Find X2 Pro – discounted to £599
Xiaomi Black Friday deals UK
Xiaomi is running a deals event through November – called Mi Friday. It is offering a range of different sales events, including likes for discounts and flash sales. It’s a little confusing, but there are some deals to be had. There may be better deals coming to other retailers in the near future.
• Xiaomi 11T 5G, 256GB, now £469 (save £80): Big storage, Dimensity 1200 power, a 120Hz AMOLED display and 108MP camera – plus a decent discount. View offer on mi.com.
Motorola’s new Moto G9 Plus is a stunner of a phone – find out why, right here
• Redmi Note 10 Pro, 128GB, now £239 (save £30): From the affordable end of the market, a great Android phone. See deal on mi.com.
• Poco X3 Pro, 128GB, now £169 (save £60): Poco aims to deliver key spec for the best price – Snapdragon 860 and a 120Hz display at amazing prices. See deal on mi.com
Best Black Friday US cell phone deals 2021
Google Pixel deals US
Google likes to discount for Black Friday and Cyber Monday and we’re expecting some decent savings.
Samsung Galaxy deals US
We’ve seen some great deals in the past from Samsung for Black Friday and Cyber Monday and we’d expect this year to have some great savings.
OnePlus deals US
OnePlus is running its Best Prices in 2021 campaign, but you might find better prices elsewhere – and we’re expecting lower prices from other retailers during Black Friday.
Motorola deals US
Motorola often has some compelling offers on Black Friday, but they haven’t started yet.
Writing by Chris Hall. Originally published on .


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Australian Paper’s Chief Executive Officer Jim Henneberry has resigned from his position after eight years in the company.
“Jim made the difficult decision to leave Australian Paper in order to pursue new opportunities outside of the business. His resignation is effective from 14 February 2014,” according to a statement from Australian Paper.
“Australian Paper thanks Jim for his dedication and commitment to the company since joining in 2006. We wish him success in the next endeavour.”
Until further notice, Mr Hirofumi Fujimori, the Representative Director of Australian Paper’s holding company Nippon Paper Industries, is the Acting CEO.
In December the company released a sustainability report revealing that it has faced reduced sales in the domestic market due to a weak economy, a strong Australian dollar and strong foreign competition, all of which contributed to a drop in revenues and profits.
Australian Paper has invested in a $90 million white paper recycling plant at its Maryvale Mill in Victoria. The facility is the only one of its kind in Australia and will convert 80,000 tonnes of domestic waste paper into 50,000 tonnes of premium recycled fiber each year for high quality communication papers.
Australian Paper directly employs around 1,300 workers and has an annual production of 612,000 tonnes of paper products, including more than 457,000 tonnes of pulp. The company sells almost 700,000 tonnes of paper product to local and overseas markets. The company exports to more than 75 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Latin America and Africa.


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A group of scientists and fishermen in New England are working on a new tool that will allow consumers to learn where a piece of fish came from.
If you ever find yourself standing in a supermarket wondering which fish to buy, and wishing you knew where it came from, you'll be pleased to hear that the future of seafood may be about to change.
A group of scientists and fishermen in New England are working on a new tool that will allow consumers to learn where a piece of fish came from and get its backstory, while standing in the supermarket aisle with their smartphone. The tool was recently awarded a $175,000 federal government grant, in cooperation with Maine Coast and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland is developing the tool. We spoke with Jen Levin, the institute's sustainable seafood program manager.
JEN LEVIN - Sustainable Seafood Program Manager
There are a lot of tools out there that exist to enable traceability. We’re partnering with two of them. One of them is called Trace Register out of Seattle Washington and another company that we’re working with is called ThisFish and it’s a product that was developed out of Canada, and both of these products enable traceability from the boat through the supply chain but one of the challenges there is that every single node along the supply chain would have to use this same tool in order to actually accomplish full traceability from the boat to plate.
And for this project we’re partnering with those two companies to provide proof of concept between data inoperability, and what that means is that we’ll be working to connect those systems so if someone enters data into ThisFish for example, it can seamlessly transfer over to Trace Register that another company down the supply chain might be using. And vice versa. So if a company is using Trace Register and sells to someone using ThisFish then that data will automatically transfer over and maintain information about the source of the Seafood until the point of sale.
PHIL: Ultimately the tool will collect data about product through the different aspects of the supply chain — including catch, landing, auction, processing and delivery — and allows the buyer to see all the way back to the fisherman. This new, innovative tool is the latest in a growing interesting for consumers in food traceability and tech. Something which is able to connect retailers, restaurants and customers with the origin and journey of their food. According to market research firm Visiongain, and noted in The San Diego union Tribute, the world market for food traceability technologies will reach a little over 11 billion dollars in 2015, an increase of more than a half-billion dollars from the previous year.


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|Bid||42.92 x 100|
|Ask||42.94 x 200|
|Day's Range||42.70 - 43.20|
|52 Week Range||35.16 - 59.67|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||10.96|
|Earnings Date||Nov 9, 2017|
|Dividend & Yield||2.20 (4.85%)|
|1y Target Est||42.83|
Kohl's (KSS) gains on enhanced omni-channel capabilities and its efforts to efficiently manage inventory. In order to improve comps, the company partners with Amazon.
Department store are down today, and while Cowen & Co.'s Oliver Chen and his team have Market Perform ratings on both Kohl's (KSS) and Macy's (M), they take a look at how the two stack up--and think that Kohl's looks better. That said, Chen sees "encouraging features" in both stocks. While they both have about the same omnichannel loyalty, Chen calls Kohl's system more advanced. Chen calls Kohl's partnership with Amazon (AMZN) 'game changing," while Macy's is in the middle innings as its new management implements its strategy.
Target's product assortment on Google Express will include anything in a typical Target store, which will serve as fulfillment centers.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / October 11, 2017 / U.S. major indexes continued to hit new record highs Tuesday as consumer staples were lifted by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s announcement of a $20 billion share ...
Nvidia (NVDA) is out with a brand new AI chip, called the Drive PX Pegasus, that will be used in self-driving cars. Nvidia’s new chip can power Level 5 fully driverless cars. Walmart (WMT) announced plans to buy back up to $20 billion in shares over the next two years and reiterated its earnings forecast for the year.
On August 10, 2017, Gordon Haskett upgraded Kohl's stock from “reduce” to “hold” with a target price of $37.00—up from the previous target of $36.00.
As of September 26, Kohl’s was trading at a 12-month forward PE ratio of 12.4x. Its valuation multiple has risen 16.0% since its 2Q17 results in August.


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Hertfordshire is entering its second day of Tier 4 restrictions as the new variant of Covid continues to spread.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday (December 19) that the South East would be forced into a brand new tier, which would see tougher restrictions for residents.
Herts as well as parts of Essex and London had spent just a few days in Tier 3 after being moved up before they were moved up again and plunged into the brand new Tier 4.
It comes as a new variant of coronavirus is rapidly spreading across the South East and there are fears that it could spread up north.
While it's believed it isn't any deadlier than the original strain of the virus, the new strain does spread up to 70 per cent quicker and there are fears that thousands more could be infected potentially overrunning the NHS.
What do you think about the new Tier 4 restrictions? Let us know below:
The brand new Tier 4 is incredibly similar to a lockdown with residents being urged to stay home and not meet up with friends or family. This came as a huge blow to many who have now had to cancel their Christmas plans.
Residents in Tier 4 will not be allowed to enjoy Christmas with loved ones and instead will have to stay at home. Similarly, the new tier has had a huge impact on businesses some of whom have been forced to now shut.
Which shops must close in Tier 4?
The government has said that all non-essential businesses are not allowed to stay open under Tier 4. This includes:
- Non-essential shops, including electronics and clothing stores
- Hairdressers and barbers
- Nail salons
- Spas and beauty bars
- Clothing and electronics stores
- Vehicle showrooms
- Travel agents
- Betting shops
- Auction houses
- Car washes
- Tobacco and vape shops
- Bowling alleys, leisure centres and gyms, sports facilities including swimming pools, golf courses and driving ranges, dance studios, stables and riding centres, soft play facilities, climbing walls and climbing centres, archery and shooting ranges, water and theme parks.
- Theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, adult gaming centres and arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, concert halls, zoos and other animal attractions, botanical gardens.
- Body and skin piercing studios, non-medical acupuncture, and tanning salons.
- Community Centres
- Museums and galleries
- Amusement arcades
Tier 3 saw pubs, restaurants and bars forced to close and these will continue to remain closed in Tier 4.
Which shops can stay open in Tier 4?
Some shops and businesses will be allowed to stay open under Tier 4 however. These include:
- Petrol stations
- Pet shops
- Takeaways and food deliveries
- Health shops
- Medical services ie dentists
- Hardware stores
- Garden centres
- Retail shops in hospitals
- Bicycle shops
- Laundrettes and dry cleaners
- Banks, building societies
- Short-term loan providers, credit unions and ATM machines
- Storage and distribution centres
- Post Offices
- Car rental services and car parks near vital services such as supermarkets
- Public toilets
- Food banks and shelters
- Car garages and repair shops


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Shares of electric-car maker Tesla (TSLA 1.37%) jumped on Monday, rising as much as 6.3%. As of 10:15 a.m. EST, however, the stock was up only about 2%.
The growth stock's gain follows news of an analyst's move to upgrade his 12-month price target for Tesla.
On Monday, Baird analyst Ben Kallo raised his 12-month price target on the shares from $488 to $728, representing nearly a 50% boost to the target price.
Following the automaker's recent aggressive expansion of its manufacturing capacity, including the late 2019 launch of its Shanghai factory and the ongoing construction of factories in Berlin and Austin, Texas, Tesla is entering into a new phase as a company, Kallo says. During this phase, CEO Elon Musk may consider combining businesses where he is a leading shareholder, the analyst speculates. Musk is a major shareholder of Tesla, spacecraft company SpaceX, and the underground infrastructure specialist The Boring Company.
This view, however, is "mostly conjecture on our part," Kallo added.
Despite the fact that the analyst's 12-month price target of $728 is below where shares are trading today, Kallo reiterated an outperform rating, noting that he thinks the stock could still have upside in the near term.
But investors should remember the stock's ballooning valuation. The shares certainly have considerable momentum, with the stock up more than 20% year to date and over 650% over the past 12 months. But there's risk that the stock could fall sharply if something causes investors to decide it isn't worth its extremely pricey valuation.


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Barry Slights says every night the alarms don’t go off is a small victory.
The manager of a Pedego e-bike shop in Denver’s Golden Triangle said the business faced a string of break-ins this summer, resulting in thousands of dollars of lost inventory and physical damage. On another occasion, during business hours, one of his employees was assaulted by a man wielding a chain.
Surveillance video recorded it all.
Two miles to the west, at FattE-Bikes, owner Kenny Fischer said he’s taken to sleeping at the company’s production facility some nights in the hopes of stopping thieves. He did just that one night. On another occasion, he tracked down a stolen bike himself.
Both men believe their shops were hit by the same thieves. A spokesperson for the Denver Police Department would say only that the incidents are under investigation, and that no arrests have been made.
The brazen thefts speak to the popularity of e-bikes. And the repetition is getting old.
“With e-bike popularity right now, they can turn around and sell them in seconds,” Slights said. “I think the police are overstretched with everything. I’m not expecting miracles, but there’s clearly a record with this guy.”
“It’s changed our operations … let alone the sleepless nights and paranoia, constantly checking the cameras,” Fischer said. “Insurance doesn’t solve trauma.”
Caught on camera at Pedego
Pedego had been robbed once at a previous temporary location, next to the Starbucks at 575 Lincoln St. But earlier this year, the shop moved to 929 Bannock St., on the ground floor of Greystar’s Parq on Speer building earlier this year.
It has since been robbed twice within a few weeks.
“In general this is a very expensive building. The rent here is stupid,” Slights said. “We’re in such an ideal place you wouldn’t expect it. It’s not a run-down neighborhood.”
According to its website, the cheapest available apartment in Parq building is a 545-square-foot studio for $1,742 a month. The most expensive available unit, a three-bedroom, is $11,385 a month.
Slights said the first robbery happened on June 14, when a thief smashed the storefront windows and snatched a bike.
On July 3, two people — one of whom Slights believes to be the same guy as June — hit the store again. He now goes to sleep every night anticipating the store will be hit again.
“They know what they’re doing,” Slights said. “We use more locks, we’re putting up gates … but even then he goes through it. It slows him down 10 seconds.”
He said the robbers have stolen four bikes, three batteries and some other hand-held equipment, totaling $12,000 lost in inventory. Replacing the smashed window twice has cost the store about $35,000.
“E-Bikes are where the money is, they’re in such high demand,” Slights said. “Luckily we can survive it … but for some people, it’s going to cripple them.”
Theft isn’t the only problem. Last week, one of Slight’s employees, Michael Fritz, was assaulted by a man who entered the store and started yelling. Video surveillance shows the man striking Fritz, leaving the store and coming back armed with a chain, which he repeatedly swings at Fritz.
Fritz said the man had an ankle monitor. Slights said he hasn’t received an update from Denver police about the robberies, but the department seems to be more proactive about finding the attacker.
Up at night at FattE-bikes
Just two miles away on the other side of Interstate 25, in the Sun Valley, Fischer has spent restless nights sleeping in his store after a string of June robberies.
“I lost a lot of sleep, pacing the warehouse as if I was a trained security guard,” the owner of FattE-Bikes said. “I knew I was taking serious risks.”
Fischer said the company’s store and production facility at 2596 W. Barberry Place was first hit by robbers on June 1.
After the first incident, Fischer said he immediately started bulking up security. The robbers returned on June 5.
“What they do is hit you really quick before your cameras come in,” Fischer said. “There’s very little you can do.”
A few weeks later, Fischer said thieves tried to ram a truck into the shop’s garage doors to get into the building. But he was sleeping on site and chased them off.
It’s not an unprecedented tactic. In 2021, two men drove a U-Haul through Cherry Creek’s eBike USA intending to rob it, although they left empty-handed.
All in all, Fischer estimated about $20,000 in inventory was stolen. He couldn’t estimate the cost of physical damage, but said it was “thousands of dollars” just to repair the garage doors. He’s paid to rent cargo containers to block the doors and for other items such as cameras.
Fischer said the store, which first opened in 2017, has been broken into before, but lately there’s been an increase of “blatant robberies.” He said he was able to recover one bike on his own, but otherwise he believes the rest are being sold on Facebook Marketplace.
“There was a tracker on the bike and I actually stalked this person 10 miles through the city. They had no idea,” Fischer said. “I recovered it from a very undesirable-looking individual and got it back to my shop … at my own risk.”
Fischer recognized that car theft has also increased and bike theft has always been an issue. But he said now it’s affecting small businesses, not just individuals.
“Prevention is difficult … you can’t see things before they happen,” Fischer said. “In my opinion, you can punish to the highest extent … this is a slap on the wrist, it’s an insult. This is my livelihood. If there’s no penalty, there’s no stopping this – in fact they’re encouraging it.”
A Denver police spokesperson said the department “continues to work on reducing the number of bicycle and e-bike thefts throughout the city” and patrols more heavily in districts with crime trends.
Rob Brunt, co-founder of Project 529 — an effort promoted by Denver police — said his site allows owners to register their bikes, in the hopes the information will allow them to be returned if they’re stolen and later recovered.
Brunt encouraged bike shop owners to register their bikes through the site, saying ownership info can be updated once bikes are sold. He said 33,000 bikes have been registered since launching in Denver this spring and 33 stolen bikes have been returned to owners.


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NYCEDC today announced that 13 promising New York City-based food manufacturers have been awarded scholarships for the Crain’s Made In New York event on Thursday, October 23, hosted by Crain’s New York Business and Taste NY.
This innovative business accelerator program, operated in partnership with SBS, NYCHA, Citi and Hot Bread Kitchen, empowers NYCHA residents to start and grow food businesses as part of New York City’s efforts to support entrepreneurs across communities.
The Taste of NYC: Fancy Food Fellowship promotes local entrepreneurship and manufacturing growth in NYC’s immigrant communities by increasing access to new markets, networks and resources. Immigrant-owned or founded businesses are encouraged to apply!
NYCEDC today announced the four winning businesses of a City-sponsored competition designed to send New York City-based food manufacturers to a major international trade show taking place this summer in New York City.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation today hosted the second annual New York City Food Manufacturers Business Expo. Featuring an estimated 200 businesses from around New York City, the Expo provided local food manufacturers the opportunity to meet brokers, buyers, distributors, suppliers and industry experts and aims to help food manufacturers gain a competitive advantage and grow their businesses.


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Cebu Exporters Still Cautious on US Market
CEBU CITY - Although today's peso-dollar exchange rate highly favors the Philippine export industry- trading around the P49 level against the greenback- Cebuano exporters remain cautious of the United States market.
"It is still premature for us to hope for recovery of a strong demand in the US next year. The stock market is swinging up and down. There is so much uncertainty right now and in the next couple of months," said Michael Basubas, past president of the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF).
Even as the rest of the world is banking on the leadership of President-elect Barack Obama to uplift the US economy. Basubas said he shares the sentiment of local exporters that it will take time for Cebu products to pick up more demand in the US market.
Basubas said that it would be "wise" for exporters to diversify their markets to other countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. He acknowledged, though, that the US market accounts for about 60 percent of local exports.
Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Eric Mendoza said some exporters are now looking at the Russian market, whose robust economy is boosted by high-spending Russians. …


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In a press release, SK Hynix confirmed that they have completed development of their 16 Gb DDR5 DRAM. The next-generation DRAM is totally compliant of the JEDEC standard and is based on a 10 nm process node, allowing for efficient and faster operation than current generation DDR4 DRAM.
DDR5 Memory Development Completed By SK Hynix - First DRAM Hits 5200 MT/s at 1.1V, 16 Gb Densities
The DDR5 DRAM will be adopted by future computing platforms, starting off with servers first. The memory platform aims to deliver higher speeds with increased bandwidth and greater capacities. The priority target market would be data-centric applications which include Machine Learning, AI and Big Data.
"Based on technological advancements that allowed the industry's first DDR5 DRAM to meet the JEDEC standards, SK Hynix plans to begin mass producing the product from 2020, when the DDR5 market is expected to open, to actively respond to the demands of clients," said vice president Joohwan Cho, the Head of Volume Product Design Group.
Coming to the specifications, SK Hynix completed development of a 16 Gb DDR5 DRAM with their 10nm process technology. They are using the same process for the 8 Gb DDR4 DRAM but with the DDR5 interface, you get more than just faster speeds. It's an architectural upgrade as a whole that aims to deliver the best efficiency that DRAM can offer. The DDR5 module that was developed runs with just 1.1V. This alone is a 30% decrease in power consumption compared to 1.2V on the DDR4 DRAM.
In addition to the power improvements, the 16 Gb DDR5 DRAM has a data transfer rate of 5200 MT/s which is 60% faster than the standard 3200 MHz of DDR4 DRAM. Currently, there are only few memory kits out which offer up to 4800 MHz speeds while overclockers have achieved far beyond 5000 MHz using LN2. But consider this, 5000 MHz+ speeds on DDR4 were achieved using the best of the best overclocking tools, with DDR5, you would get that as a standard memory with overclocked speeds going beyond 6400 MHz.
SK Hynix has already stated that they are providing a major chipset manufacturer with DDR5 RDIMMs and UDIMMs. These are for both server and PC platforms, offering twice the capacity as current-generation memory. While the development of DDR5 has been completed, the actual adoption rate would take some time to hit the same levels as DDR4. That is expected around 2020, the same time around when SK Hynix plans to begin mass production for their DDR5 DRAM.


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BERLIN (REUTERS) - Hennes & Mauritz, the world's second-largest clothing retailer, laid out a plan on Monday to pay a fair "living wage" to some 850,000 textile workers by 2018, saying governments were acting too slowly.
"We believe that the wage development, driven by for example governments in some countries, is taking too long, so we want to take further action and encourage the whole industry to follow," H&M said in a statement on its website.
H&M sources most of its garments from factories in Asia, particularly Bangladesh, where a factory collapse in April that killed almost 1,130 people put pressure on big brands to improve the working conditions of those making clothes for the West.
H&M, which did not source from that factory, was the first company to sign a Europe-led safety pact for Bangladesh garment factories after the collapse. It has urged Bangladesh and Cambodia to raise the minimum wage and revise it annually.
Violent protests over pay have forced the closure of hundreds of Bangladeshi garment factories in recent weeks even though factory owners have agreed to a proposed 77 per cent rise in the minimum wage.
Rock bottom wages and trade deals have made Bangladesh's garments sector a US$22 billion (S$27.5 billion) industry that accounts for four-fifths of exports, supplying retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc, and Primark as well as H&M.
About 3.6 million of Bangladesh's 155 million people work in the clothing industry, making it the world's second-largest garments exporter behind China. Around 60 per cent of garment exports go to Europe and 23 per cent to the United States.
H&M said it would support factory owners to develop pay structures that enable a fair living wage in two model factories in Bangladesh and one in Cambodia in 2014 and then scale up the model to the 750 factories it works with by 2018.
It wants wages to be negotiated annually and reviewed by democratically elected trade unions or worker representatives.
Ms Helena Helmersson, global head of sustainability at H&M, made the commitment at a conference on living wages in Berlin organised by the Dutch and German governments.
"We are willing to pay more so that the supplier can pay higher wages," H&M said. "We believe that our purchasing practices will lead to better efficiency and productivity."


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ONE of Edinburgh’s most popular family restaurants has announced plans to set up a special Christmas grotto, as a ‘Leith alternative’ to the traditional festive attractions in the capital.
The Yard, Leith, has revealed that it will create its very own Christmas market and festive grotto this year, providing residents of Leith with their very own version of Edinburgh’s Winter Wonderland celebrations.
The restaurant will carry out a massive overhaul of its courtyard in order to create the attractions, which will be open to members of the public from December 9.
The Yard’s head chef, Tony Delicata, said: “We wanted to replicate some of the festivities that are taking place at Princes Street Gardens, but on a smaller scale. Leith doesn’t really have a Christmas market of its own so we thought we would create one here ourselves, so that it can be enjoyed by everyone in the area.
“Although it’s not going to rival the big market on Princes Street Gardens, our biggest inspiration was actually the Christmas decorations in New York. They’re very iconic and everyone knows what they look like thanks to popular TV programmes and movies, so we wanted to create that sort of wintery feel down in Leith.
“As well as the market stalls, we’re building a Santa’s grotto and will be hosting weekend breakfast events where kids can come and have some winter sweets and treats with Father Christmas himself. There will also be state-of-the-art artificial snow and decorations set up throughout our courtyard, so it should look absolutely fantastic.
“On Christmas Eve, we have a very special event planned, where we will be inviting everyone to come down to The Yard for a special carol singing celebration – and the kids will be able to wave Santa off as he takes to his sled and starts his long night of delivering presents.
“The whole idea is to have a lot of fun and create a good bit of Christmas community spirit in Leith. We want everyone to come down and experience a winter wonderland on their doorstep, rather than facing the hassle of heading into the city centre and fighting the crowds.”
Among the attractions at The Yard in December will be specialist stalls selling a range of arts and crafts, including hand-made candles and jewellery. There will also be a selection of food and drink stands, selling designer cider and winter treats such as mulled wine and hot chocolate, as well as festive rides for youngsters.
Other events taking place at The Yard over the festive holidays include:
• Christmas dinner cabaret with renowned crooner Marty Waugh (December 12 and 19)
• Hogmanay ‘knees up’ dinner and drinks party with music from The 3 Fivers – a musical troupe comprising staff members and ex-performers from The Yard, Leith (December 31)
• Breakfast with Santa (11am on December 12 and 19 – kids only)
The full list of Christmas events and details about The Yard, Leith’s special festive menu can be found on the website www.theyardleith.com
MEDIA RELEASE issued by the Holyrood Partnership. You too can post your story ideas for journalists (aka Press or media releases), on allmediascotland.com. Email email@example.com for more information.
Check out twitter.com/nonstopstories.
Contact: Holyrood Partnership
Phone: 0131 561 2244


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For April Fools’ Day 2009, ThinkGeek launched a tauntaun sleeping bag as a fake-yet-awesome product. As everyone knows, pranks make the best market research, and now LA Weekly reports that they are going ahead with the product. Yes!
Shane Peterman, PR rep for ThinkGeek, shared the news:
We are definitely trying to make it in to an actual item to be sold ?on our site. As of right now, it’s still an “if,” but it’s turning in?to more of a “when.” Things are looking pretty good, we just don’t want ?to get too far ahead of ourselves. There’s certainly been enough of a?demand, both from customers and from those of us that work here. Right now, we’re aiming to have it available ?for the holidays, or at the latest, the 30th anniversary of The Empire ?Strikes Back next spring.
Don’t you want a sleeping bag that “simulates the warmth of a Tauntaun carcass”? Of course you do!


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Mindanao Talk Show Kicks Off Nov. 19
The show is a good opportunity for Mindanaoans who want to know about the latest news and issues affecting the island including its economy, peace and order, business and other advocacy.
"We hope to highlight the different opportunities in Mindanao especially in investments," Mindanao Business Council chairman Vicente Lao said. On the other hand, Mindanao Economic Development Council Undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana said that aside from providing vital information to businessmen "the show will also give various updates on peace and development to Mindanao's different stakeholders."
The newest talk show in and about Mindanao, which replaced the live interview program Mindanao Business Talk, will be managed jointly by Medco and MinBC.


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Citing example of Galpha Laboratories which has seen exports expand by 400% in the last year, CPhI report said exports are pushing ahead at remarkable rates.
Globally, the largest pharma companies in India have consolidated exports market presence. However, the second wave of Indian manufacturing firms are looking to grow beyond the $ 100-million mark and to increasingly export internationally.
One key new region to emerge for exports is Japan, a market that currently has limited overseas penetration and which is now opening its doors, the report said.
Another key area will be South and Latin America. Countries like Argentina recently removed trade barriers and are welcoming Indian imports for their healthcare economy.
Two thirds of India’s pharma industry is still coming from the SME sector and with these companies increasingly expanding into international markets, the next few years promise to see a more mature and globally dominant Indian pharma industry, report added.
In recent years, India vastly increase its capabilities, expanding from active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing to finished dosage delivery. Furthermore, India’s API producers are now shifting towards high value, low volume work, with complex chemistry and IP challenges.
The amount of expenditure on R&D by thirty of the top pharmaceutical companies in India rose by 19.7% in the financial year leading up to March 2013.Another area that will transform over the coming years is biotechnology and biosimilars, it said.


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FRANCE: Jean Caby cools claims of plants sale
According to an MP, two Jean Caby plants have been sold in France
Loss-making French cooked meats firm Jean Caby has moved to cool claims it has found a buyer for its two production plants in Brittany.
Gwenegan Bui, a local French MP, said the plants in Lampaul-Guimiliau and Ergué-Gabéric had been sold to French food holdings group, Financière Turenne Lafayette. FTL already has cooked meats brands Paul Prédault and Madrange in its portfolio.
Jean Caby's plant, near Lille, which makes cocktail sausages and other snack foods, is not part of the deal.
However, the manager of Jean Caby's plant in Lampaul-Guimiliau, Philippe Beuve, expressed "surprise" at the MP's comments.
"This is all a little premature," Beuve told just-food. "What is true is that we are planning a re-organisation of Jean Caby's structure with a number of options under consideration. But nothing has been finalised at this stage. We began consultations with the works council last week and these are continuing today."
The two plants employ 700 staff. FTL declined to comment.
Synopsis The report provides a review of the mergers and acquisitions (M&As), partnering deals, and agreements entered into by companies active in the global prepared meals market during June 2014. S...
Synopsis The report provides a review of the mergers and acquisitions (M&As), partnering deals, and agreements entered into by companies active in the global meat market during June 2014. Summary Usi...
- ConAgra Foods: what could happen next? - analysis
- Why Mars rice plan not just crop-ticking exercise
- Greencore's food-to-go focus paying dividends
- What could be benefit of US approval of GM salmon?
- How Danone aims to meet its 2020 objectives
- Hovis plans cuts amid anxiety over UK bread demand
- Aryzta regional CEO steps down
- "Serious" suitors lined up for Chicken of The Sea
- Unilever sets 2030 carbon positive goal
- PepsiCo to expand Frito-Lay plant in US


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Michelle Mendelovitz, Creative Director of Apple TV +, left the company to move to Disney-owned 20th Century Fox. She worked for Apple for two years and oversaw the development of shows such as "For All Mankind", "Servant" and "Visible: Out on Television".
At Fox, Mendelovitz will lead the drama series development team with the title of Senior Vice President of Dramatic Development. Mendelovitz joined Apple as Creative Executive in September 2018, while the company was working on the development of Apple TV + which debuted in late 2019. Prior to that, Michelle Mendelovitz had worked for Sony Pictures Entertainment and CBS, developing TV series like “The Good Doctor”, “Bloodline”, “Mom” and others.
Future missions supervised by Mendelovitz could potentially arrive at Disney +, a direct competitor to TV + which will also soon arrive in France.


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A new generation of artisans in the Global South are getting entrepreneurial training with their craft skills.
Worldwide, people aged 15 to 24 are nearly three times more likely to be unemployed than their older counterparts, according to a 2012 report by the International Labor Office. These figures are particularly alarming in developing nations where the ratio of young to old is highly skewed. To combat this problem, nonprofits are beginning to think outside the box. One idea: nonprofits that might simply have taught local youths the art of craft making, are now also incorporating entrepreneurial skill-building into the mix.
For instance, in Chiapas, Mexico, young female Mayan weavers are simultaneously learning weaving skills and business skills, like production oversight, retail management and an understanding of international marketing. This is part of an endeavor funded by the Kellogg Foundation and run by Aid to Artisans, a U.S.-based charity that works to create economic opportunities for artisans around the world.
Artisanship can be a way for young, lower-skill workers to create products that sell to richer cities or countries. But for those who try, learning a craft is only half the battle. "Young people need access to market-driven product development, business training and linkage to markets," Monika Steinberger, Aid to Artisans' director of program management and development, told the Financial Times. It is these skills that will enable artisans to sell their products in major cities around the globe, where consumers often demand competitive, high-quality goods.
This approach could yield successful results as young artisans propel forward, learning hard and soft skills they could one day use in other industries or professions. Not only do they gain technical training, they also boost their self-esteem as they begin to engage in the business side of craftsmanship.


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Microsoft purchase of aQuantive is official
Digital marketing firm fetches $6 billion
Published 10:00 pm, Monday, August 13, 2007
Microsoft Corp. finished the largest acquisition in its history Monday, and immediately started the delicate process of shuffling executives and integrating Seattle-based aQuantive Inc. into its operations.
But even at the premium price of $6 billion, it will be awhile before the digital marketing company makes a big impact on Microsoft's bottom line. Profit in aQuantive's last fiscal year was $54 million -- not even 1 percent of Microsoft's annual profit of more than $14 billion.
"Things have to work out well for this to make sense. If they work out well, then it will be looked at as a good acquisition," said Charles Di Bona, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. "It's certainly not a slam-dunk, financially, but I think, strategically, they had to pay to get this."
That strategy is to fill out its advertising offerings to compete with Google and Yahoo, both of which Microsoft trails in online ad revenue, by large margins.
- GrubHub and Yelp Expand Reach to Offer Delivery to Over 80,000 Restaurants Wibbitz
- Young entrepreneur Blake Pyron heads to UN Fox4
- Lyft Testing Netflix-Like Subscription Packages for Riders Wibbitz
- Lexus Is Getting Into the Luxury Boat Business Fortune
- Start-Up Offering to Preserve & Upload Your Brain, But There's a Catch Buzz 60
- Amazon Unveils 'Spheres' Green Space In Seattle Associated Press
- Tariffs could affect Maine businesses WMTW
- Triad CEO provides tips on how women can maximize business potential, finances WXII
- Lending business changes policies in wake of Florida school shooting Fox5Atlanta
- The Booming Business of eSports Cheddar TV
- Inside essential oils marketing, a billion-dollar wellness business with plenty of critics Mic
- Millennials fell for scams more than grandparents last year Fox29
- International reaction to Trump's tariffs Euronews
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The deal was announced in May. Changes were immediately apparent upon the completion Monday. For example, the receptionist at aQuantive's downtown Seattle headquarters identified the company to callers as aQuantive, "a subsidiary of Microsoft."
Executives from both companies addressed aQuantive employees at a meeting at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, expressing optimism about the possibility of grabbing a larger chunk of the advertising market.
Analysts say the close proximity of the companies will help the integration. But there will be cultural hurdles for aQuantive's 2,600 employees to overcome. Among other things, they'll have to adjust to new relationships with Microsoft product groups and decipher the Redmond company's legendary acronyms.
One question has been how aQuantive's Avenue A/Razorfish advertising agency can be part of Microsoft while still representing the best interests of its clients -- creating campaigns, for example, that run on Google and Yahoo, not just MSN, Windows Live and Microsoft's other online services.
Brian McAndrews, aQuantive's chief executive, said in an interview that the ad agency will have an "arm's length" relationship with the rest of Microsoft. "It's exactly the way we did it within aQuantive," McAndrews said, describing Avenue A/Razorfish's similar relationship to other parts of aQuantive. "Their highest priority has always been what is right for their clients, and that will never change. The day that changes is the day they go out of business."
AQuantive's top executives are on board. McAndrews was named to head Microsoft's new Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group, and he confirmed that his entire leadership team will join him.
McAndrews' group will include each of aQuantive's three main businesses: the Avenue A/Razorfish advertising agency; the Atlas digital advertising technologies; and Digital Performance Media, which buys and sells online ad inventory. About 400 Microsoft employees will join the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group, in areas including product management and product planning.
The new group will be in charge of building a system for advertisers and publishers to use across all digital media, McAndrews said. The separate Online Services Group, run by Microsoft's Steve Berkowitz, will specifically be in charge of Microsoft's own offerings, MSN and Windows Live.
Microsoft executive Satya Nadella and his Search and Advertising Platform Group will work closely with McAndrews' Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group, the company said.
No layoffs are planned, McAndrews said. With aQuantive's 2,600 employees, the deal will push Microsoft above 80,000 workers.
Matt Rosoff, an analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft, said it's good that McAndrews is staying.
"Obviously, Microsoft needs somebody who knows the online advertising industry very well, and I imagine that his staying on will help Microsoft retain aQuantive employees, if they were thinking that they might not want to work for Microsoft," he said.
And the companies are keeping the upheaval to a minimum. For the time being, employees at both companies will keep their current offices.
In the meantime, those employees might want to grab some aQuantive-branded materials as memorabilia. While the individual product and unit names will remain, McAndrews said the aQuantive name will eventually go away.


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MANUFACTURERS can play a vital role in leading the region to economic recovery, according to a leading business advisor.
After figures revealed UK manufacturing output hit a 16-year high in December, Andrew Norman, (right), partner, at Blackpool-based Moore and Smalley Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors, said he believes Lancashire’s economy can benefit from its larger than average manufacturing base, but also sounded a note of caution.
The UK’s manufacturing sector has been buoyed by growth in export markets thanks to the weak pound. Mr Norman said: “While manufacturing alone will not offset job losses in the public sector, these latest figures suggest that it can at least play a role in the recovery.
“This region has a much larger manufacturing base than other areas of the UK, so any increase in output has to be positive news.”
David Haythornthwaite, chairman and founder of Lytham-based Tangerine Group the company, said: “We’re investing in our workforce and also making capital investments in new manufacturing equipment as a result of growth in our export markets. We have taken on an additional 20 people over the last 12 months, which is around a 20 per cent increase in our workforce.
“We have seen this increase simply because we are making quality products and we have great focus as a business on what we do. Export markets account for about 22 per cent of our business, but we are looking to up this to 38 per cent by 2015.”
Blackpool-based Booth Dispensers has also seen an increase in turnover and staff numbers as the economy recovers.
The Moor Park Avenue company manufactures chilling and vending machine equipment and has taken on an additional 30 staff while seeing turnover grow 30 per cent in the last year.
Phil Elliott, managing director, said: “We’re still not trading at pre-2008 levels but there has been a significant recovery and we expect that recovery to continue. We buy most of our materials in Euros and Dollars, so we haven’t seen the same currency benefits as some other firms, but we have increased sales.”


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The Italian manufacturer of automotive components announced that it would invest $75 million to establish its first North American production plant in March 2016. The facility will create 350 jobs over the next five years.
When complete, the ELDOR location will include a 250,000 square foot facility on approximately 53 acres.
Headquartered in Orsenigo, Como, Italy, ELDOR is the industry leader in the research, development and production of ignition coils, engine control units and combustion management systems as well as electric systems for hybrid and electric applications. The company has three research and development operations in Italy, production plants in Italy, Turkey, China and Brazil, and technical offices in Detroit, China and Germany. ELDOR customers include most of the world’s automotive manufacturers and contracts to supply customers in the U.S. prompted the need for a U.S. manufacturing operation.
Roanoke Regional Partnership staff worked with ELDOR executives for nine months as they evaluated more than 160 sites in six states. The Partnership staff connected the company with the resources that would make this project work here, such as Botetourt’s pre-graded site, Virginia Tech, the mechatronics program at Virginia Western Community College, and business services.


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The Summer Update? July 23rd??
" When will the GTA Online Summer Update release?
Since 2019 Rockstar has always delivered at least two significant expansions to the game each year. You can take a look at when the game has released its expansions previously, on the chart below. Given that Rockstar has delivered a Summer expansion in July/August every year for the past 4 years, we suspect that the GTA Online 2022 summer update will release on July 23, 2022. Of course, this is only a prediction, so take it with a grain of salt until we get anymore official info."


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As expected, the FCC has launched a Speed Test app that measures mobile broadband performance for Android devices. Available as a free download from Google Play, the app runs periodically in the background and performs tests when you aren't using your handset. There is a manual test option, for those of you steeped in the ways of Speedtest.net.
According to the FCC, the app is a "first step towards evaluating mobile broadband network performance, arming consumers with information to make fact-based, informed decisions about their wireless providers." In practice, data gathered from FCC Speed Test will help build out visualizations and maps that compare speeds and technologies across the country. Android users can hit up the Google Play link below to try it out. iPhone users, meanwhile, will have to wait till early next year; the FCC says it will submit an iOS version by late 2014.


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RUGBY’S parish reverend has defended the town’s ‘hard working’ traders, saying professionally- run charity shops are not helping them struggle through hard times on the high street.
Rev Mark Beach from St Andrew’s Church, who is also a board member of business group Rugby First, has joined the growing number of people who are unhappy about the amount of charity shops opening in the town centre that are run in a professional manner with their own dedicated buying departments, yet receive an 80 per cent reduction in business rates.
Mr Beach said: “I think it’s entirely fair that charity shops which really are charity shops should get the discount on the rates.
“When the majority of the stuff they sell has been donated by people in the community because they no longer want them and the people that working in them are volunteers then that’s fair.
“But when it’s obvious they are part of a big organisation which employs a lot of staff to run it and it’s difficult to distinguish whether the goods are second hand or not then it’s unfair competition for a lot of hard working traders in the town.
“There are a lot of shops that are vacant in the town centre and people, particularly the independent ones, are really working to survive.
“The town would be a lot worse off without them and this is one more burden that they have to bare.
“I wholeheartedly support charity but my genuine fear is that some aren’t.
“It’s making life really difficult for traders in the town.”
One of the shops that has faced criticism is the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Furniture and Electrical store which opened last week.
The shop in the former Walkabout unit is the 112th one to open across the UK. The charity said that due to the success of selling furniture and electricals it will be opening a further 80 stores in the next two years.
BHF said the stores raise £22 million per year which goes towards charity work.


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MediaCom has named Jeffrey Hinz managing partner and digital director for its US business. He is responsible for the media agency’s digital media services, including display advertising, SEO and paid search, mobile, social, emerging media and other technology, such as demand-side platforms.
Sloan Broderick, the outgoing managing partner and US digital director, “is moving into a new role at MediaCom that has yet to be announced,” said John Wolfe, director of communications at MediaCom’s parent company GroupM, via email.
“As the digital space evolves and becomes a larger portion of a client’s overall marketing emphasis and priority, we need to make sure that the digital is integrated within itself, as well as integrated with traditional and with the creative agencies,” said Hinz. “That’s where I’m going to be focusing my attention, to ensure we’re hitting the clients’ objectives based on full integration of strategic digital thinking.”
Hinz reports to Harvey Goldhersz, North American CEO of MediaCom. The agency’s nine US digital account directors report to Hinz, who said he oversees more than 100 employees in MediaCom’s New York, Los Angeles and Chicago offices.
Hinz added that he is working on “half a dozen” projects for MediaCom clients. He declined to specify which clients, but MediaCom’s client roster includes Audi of America, Subway and The Wrigley Co.
MediaCom approached Hinz about the position, he said.
Prior to joining MediaCom on May 2, Hinz served as SVP and director of digital and emerging media at ID Media, leading digital and social media planning for clients such as Johnson & Johnson, SC Johnson & Son, Nikon Corp. and L’Oréal Group. Previously, he was general manager and VP of marketing at K2 Digital.


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(Filed Under wholesale Shapewear News). Mapalé, the diversified intimate apparel, swimwear, dancewear and resortwear producer has just entered the shapewear arena.
In June it signed an agreement to distribute a leading Colombian brand, Fajas Diseño de Prada, for just the state of Florida. This is the first time Mapalé has acted as a distributor for products other than its own labels.
“This shapewear has amazing quality. It is a top brand in Colombia, and has a presence in the U.S. in other states with another distributor,” Angela Tobon told BODY. She said the line, in relation to other shapewear in the market, is a “Bentley compared to a Honda.”
“This is a higher-priced product. Customers know what it is,” continued the Mapalé co-owner, noting that the first delivery in July was virtually “sold out in a couple of weeks.”
Mapalé, which is itself based in Florida, is offering the entire Fajas Diseño de Prada collection. Contact email@example.com or (954) 430-3624. — NM
Disclaimer: The views expressed in comments published on bodymagazine.us are those of the comment writers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of Bodymagazine or its staff.
NOTE: Your Email will not be displayed.


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Average retail gasoline prices in Naples have fallen 3.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.52 per gallon Sunday, a website reports.
Even so, Naples remains higher than the national average of $3.39 cents a gallon. The national average fell 3.7 cents per gallon in the last week, reports the gasoline price website www.NaplesGasPrices.com.
Including the change in gas prices in Naples during the past week, prices Sunday were 7.8 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 13.6 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 11.3 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 10.0 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.
"While the national average continues to fall, we've done the math- the yearly average in 2012 is all but guaranteed to set all time record highs," said GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan.
"We still stand at $3.63 a gallon for a yearly average, and gasoline prices would need to average no more than $2.35 a gallon for every day left in 2012 for the national yearly average to drop below 2011, something that appears impossible.
"In the meanwhile, we have lowered our forecast for Christmas gasoline prices to average between $3.25-$3.35 a gallon."
GasBuddy operates NaplesGasPrices.com and over 250 similar websites that track gasoline prices at over 140,000 gasoline stations in the United States and Canada.
GasBuddy also offers a free smartphone app, which has been downloaded over 20 million times to help motorists find gasoline prices in their area. In Naples, GasBuddy tracks price changes at 94 retail outlets.
Need Help? Call us at 1-888-878-6842.
Monday-Friday: 6am-6pm / Saturday: 7am-3pm / Sunday: 7am-2pm


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When you turn cheeseburgers into Wisconsin Cheeseburgers, you’re not just adding extra flavor, you’re adding the prestige of award-winning quality. Quality your customers will pay a premium for.
Click HERE to visit the Wisconsin Cheese Burger page and get the recipe for the Wisconsin Gouda Garlic Burger shown below!
Visit the Killer Burger Recipe Vault
Want the recipe for the Cream Cheese Stuffed Garlic Burger shown above? Looking for burger recipes from Bobby Flay, Jamie Oliver, Umami Burger or Michael Symon’s B Spot? Visit BurgerBusiness.com’s Killer Burger Recipes vault. _________________
Word is out that McDonald’s is reviving the Hamburglar character to market its new Sirloin Third Pound burgers. But he won’t be the product’s only pitchman. In an exclusive interview with BurgerBusiness.com, McDonald’s VP-Marketing Joel Yashinsky laid out all the elements of the campaign and explained the thinking behind them.
A&W Restaurants will bring a little attitude to its menu when it unveils a new Deli Burger that’s topped with sliced pastrami, mushrooms, onion and Swiss cheese on a double burger. The chain says the burger arrives on April 13.
A TV spot labels this creation, “The greatest thing since sliced meat.” The brand’s advertising […]
After four years of solid growth in ad spending that outpaced other businesses, the restaurant industry pulled back in 2014. The change reflects major chains’ decisions to slow the pace of new menu item introductions as they simplify operations. It also may have resulted from shifting advertising dollars to digital media.
Well, that didn’t work. McDonald’s Corp. reported a 4% decline in comp sales for February, the month it rolled out the sweet “Choose Lovin’” campaign. Even those who did don’t seem to have chosen McDonald’s as well.
So now what? McDonald’s can either decide it’s in the middle of a two-year “correction” that will result […]
The August Burger of the Month at The Avenue in St. Petersburg, Fla., is the Mamma Mia. That’s a 100% Angus beef patty topped with grilled tomato, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, baby arugula and balsamic glaze with a side of pesto tortellini. To see the full list of August's Burger of the Month specials around the globe, click Burgers of the Month .


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Razorpay bought the Malaysian fintech startup Curlec in a $20 Mn deal in February last year and launched its first international payment gateway with it
Razorpay said Curlec has also become a non-bank member of Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet)
With Curlec, Razorpay is aiming to fast-track adoption of real-time payments in Malaysia through DuitNow
Fintech unicorn Razorpay has acquired the licence to acquire merchants in Malaysia via its arm Curlec, a move which would help the company further strengthen its presence in the Southeast Asian country.
In a statement, Razorpay said Curlec has also become a non-bank member of Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet), the national payments network and shared central infrastructure for Malaysia’s financial markets.
Razopay said its expertise in UPI, along with its extensive experience in understanding and innovating in a dynamic landscape like India, will empower Curlec to fast-track adoption of real-time payments in Malaysia through DuitNow.
Razorpay bought the Malaysian fintech startup Curlec in a $20 Mn deal in February last year. Following this, the unicorn launched its first international payment gateway with Curlec in July this year.
Utilising Razorpay’s technology, which serves 10 Mn businesses in India, the Curlec payment gateway aims to connect local and international payment gateways.
Commenting on the development, Rahul Kothari, chief business officer of Razorpay, said, “Malaysia is an important strategic market for us as we see plenty of similarities with the Indian payments market. Our extensive experience in navigating the diverse and dynamic landscape of the Indian market empowers us to continually leverage that expertise, tackling various challenges and resolving payment issues on a global scale.”
Zac Liew, cofounder & CEO of Curlec by Razorpay, said, “Since launching our Payment Gateway in July, we are now processing in excess of RM2 billion annually and serving over 1,000 merchants. This sets the platform for Curlec to bring further innovation to Malaysia’s digital payment landscape, as well as scale DuitNow to the next level with our expertise in real-time payments – both in India and Malaysia.”
Razorpay is eyeing opportunities in Malaysia’s growing digital economy. In 2021 digital trade made up 22.6% of Malaysia’s GDP, which is expected to grow to 25.5% by 2025, as per a report.
Razorpay, which offers a payment gateway platform, SME payroll management, banking, lending, payments, insurance, among others, posted a net profit of INR 7.3 Cr in FY22 on an operating revenue of INR 1,481 Cr.
Last month, Razorpay acquired Mumbai-based digital invoicing and customer engagement startup BillMe to engage better with end customers.


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2013 has come to a close, and we are now able to view the year as a whole and how the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County real estate market fared over the past 12 months! To celebrate all of the positive trends that occurred throughout 2013, we’ve put together a visually appealing infographic. (Yes, geeks like us do celebrate good stats!)
Infographics not your thing? We’ve got the data here, too!
Compared to 2012, this year saw improvements in number of sales, sales prices, average sold/list percentage (how much of their final asking price sellers end up receiving), price per square foot, and days on market. You could call it a “sweep!” Every category in the above chart saw positive trends. Now that is something to smile about!
As for contracts, we saw an increase in contracts written of 12.7%, plus a rise in list prices and a fall in days on market. Homes this year have been sitting on the market for about a month less than last year. When it comes to saving money, that calculates to one whole mortgage payment!
Now for a look at some year-over-year stats:
Both number of sales and median sales prices are on the rise again after falling pretty drastically a few years ago. It is great to see sales prices rising, and not just the number of sales. This means that home values are stable, if not on the rise.
Comparing median sales price to the average sold/list percentage shows us that these two stats generally follow the same trend line. As sales prices rise and fall, so does the amount that sellers receive in their home sales. Back in 2006, sellers were getting nearly 100% of their asking price! After a major drop, that number is back up to almost 96%, which isn’t so bad, either.
Average price per square foot fell for five years in a row, but 2013 showed a slight gain, giving sellers in 2014 something to look forward to. We predict this trend will continue positively this year, because we also believe sales prices will continue to grow.
Finally, above you can see that the length of time a home would sit on the market grew from 2008 to 2012, but again, we saw a change in 2013. Average days on market dropped by 36 days from last year. Much of this has to do with a lower inventory level and the ability to get financing in a reasonable timeframe. (The drop in foreclosure sales this year is also a contributing factor.)
Overall, we are thrilled with the health of our local real estate market, and truly look forward to what 2014 holds for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County!
Stay tuned for more Market Trends… right here on Harrisonblog.


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KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) is just a week old into its commercial business lifecycle, and it aptly played host to Sabah’s first Covid-19 Countermeasures Forum last Thursday at Dinawan Meeting Room, as the three-month Covid-19 outbreak swept throughout the continents of the world with the exception of Antarctica, affecting many businesses.
“We need to find a solution and learn from businesses that are doing well, on their strategies of doing well in such trying times, said Talent Shop Co CEO Jason Jonathan Omar, the organiser.
Daily Express is the media partner for the event organised by CEO Jason Jonathan Omar of Talent Shop Co. in collaboration with Gleneagles Hospital, UiTM and SabahTravel.com
According to SICC Research Manager Natalia Nadirah Saiman, who assumes part of the responsibilities of the State’s yet-to-be set up Convention Bureau to promote meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions and events. SICC’s business is also impacted.
For example, for the upcoming Apec (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation which is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific) event to be held at the SICC, I expect that the attendance would be affected due to fears over the Covid-19 outbreak that, fortunately, Sabah has been spared to date. We told many enquirers that Sabah is safe, she said.”
SICC General Manager Tristan Beau de Lomenie in welcoming the participants said: “We are one week old. Finally, SICC is open for convention, exhibition. SICC stands on six hectares.”
He is no stranger to the contagion effects of an epidemic outbreak as he was a manager of a hotel in Beijing, China during the last global health-related crisis, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003.
Tristan is positive that the situation will recover and SICC is set to excel.
“My hotel occupancy rate went from 80 per cent to zero,” he recalled his China working life during the SARS outbreak, empathising with the situation facing some local hoteliers.
On SICC’s attractiveness, he said: “The response of the market is extremely good. It has been long awaited.
There is good response from the government, from the corporates, and from international business.
“We went on a sales trade mission recently in Australia, the response was very, very good. We have a lot of enquiries, a lot of leads.
“Believe me, SICC will contribute to the economy of Sabah and Kota Kinabalu. SICC will be a key player in Kota Kinabalu.”
Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) faces South China Sea-great for viewing one of the world’s listed top five most beautiful sunset as well as the magnificent Mount Kinabalu view just next to the city’s Cruiser Ship Terminal.
SICC has banquet capacity up to 5,300m² Column-free Convention Hall and Exhibition Hall accommodating up to 280 booths.
Its Performance Art Hall has a 2-tier sitting for 1,250 audiences, 112 pit seat complimented with built in stage with technologically advanced audio-visual and stage lighting.
There are 18 meeting rooms that can be expanded through movable partitions, installed with hi-tech audio-visuals and presentation equipment.
SICC has 1,300m² pre-function hall outside the convention hall allocated for refreshments and social, accommodating to different groups of events simultaneously.
Some participants anticipate that the Covid-19 outbreak will dissipate within three to six months, and businesses will be on the way to recovery and growth as they focus on serving local customers.
- Date Sat, 29 Feb 2020
- Outbreak Covid-19
- Category Sabah
- View 498


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eBay.co.uk has extended its agreement with Blowfish Digital to incorporate elements of paid search into its online marketing programme.
Since its initial appointment in 2006 Blowfish Digital has been responsible for elements of eBay.co.uk’s online direct response and brand building activities.
The digital media specialist has developed a successful online partnership and media buying programme, delivering a series of new placements for eBay.co.uk which have augmented brand loyalty and intensified customer trading on its site.
In this latest agreement Blowfish Digital will now extend its services to include management of some of eBay.co.uk’s paid search partners. Its search marketing team will be providing its expertise in Pay Per Click to promote eBay.co.uk via effective keyword buying and creative management. This addition will complement eBay.co.uk’s own in-house online marketing activities.
Minal Shah of eBay.co.uk said, “We have been working with Blowfish Digital for the last 18 months. The team’s creativity in developing new media partners has helped maintain our online brand prominence in the UK and they have become an integral part of the team here.”
Farhad Koodoruth, Managing Director of Blowfish Digital, added, “We will be using our expertise in paid search to increase trading activity on eBay.co.uk and maintain its high position among the UK search engines. We will be working with eBay’s marketing team to ensure that it continues to be the UK’s number one e-commerce site (Nielsen / Netratings March 2007).”
About Blowfish Digital
Established in 2005, Blowfish Digital is a full service digital media agency. Blowfish Digital provides expert strategic consultancy, campaign planning and management for major brands including: eBay, Agent Provocateur, La Senza, Auto Europe, Audible, Jackpot Joy and more. Blowfish Digital’s services provide an online marketing programme that builds brands, generates new media opportunities and improves lead generation. Its search marketing team provides expertise in pay per click campaigns, organic SEO, affiliate programmes and online PR.
Blowfish Digital’s team of digital media specialists work with clients to develop bespoke campaigns that improve their business and marketing results, focusing on specified channels or via a multi channel digital approach.
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